Speakers tagged: African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)

Bruce Bassett is a senior researcher with a focus on cosmology at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). Bruce also straddles a joint position between the South African Astronomical Observatory and the Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Department at UCT where he is a professor. Basset boasts a PhD in Applied Mathematics from SISSA in Trieste with a post doctoral qualification from Oxford University.

Phiwayinkosi Mbuyazi, at present, focuses the bulk of his time on writing and private research. He spent his early years in the rural north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, then went on to obtain a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from the University of Cape Town, as well as a bachelor of arts in philosophy, politics and economics from Oriel College, Oxford University. In August 2009, he left his role as executive director of Umbono Capital in order to pursue his current endeavours igniting the minds of teenagers through a para-technological literary series (currently in the process of being published) and contributing to the advancement of South African indigenous languages. He is still a non-executive director of Umbono Capital.

Yusuf Randera-Rees is the founder of the Awethu Project. He was born in South Africa, studied at Harvard and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Struck by the number of poor South Africans with entrepreneurial flair who were hindered by lack of formal training and resources, Yusuf set up the Awethu Project, which identifies and develops high-potential young entrepreneurs and invests in businesses alongside them. The goal is to replicate this model across Africa, creating a generation of entrepreneurial leaders from poor backgrounds to drive the continent’s development. Yusuf was selected as an Echoing Green Fellow in 2011.